Casing structure

ABSTRACT

A casing structure includes a case member and a sliding member. The case member includes a first case body and a second case body. The sliding member includes a first slider, a second slider, and a torsion spring. The first case body and the second case body may move relative to each other through the sliding member. The first slider includes a hollow part and a spring fixing part extending from an edge of the hollow part into the first case body. The torsion spring includes a spiral portion. The two ends of the torsion spring are respectively disposed on the spring fixing part and the second slider, and the spiral portion of the torsion spring corresponds to the hollow part, thus reducing an overall thickness of the casing structure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 097206970 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on Apr. 23, 2008 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a casing structure, in particularly, to a casing structure using a sliding member to enable a relative movement.

2. Related Art

Handheld electronic devices such as mobile phones or personal digital assistants (PDAs) are palm sized in volume. Along with the development of science and technology, in addition to the earlier functions of making/answering a phone call or a simple calendar, the Internet, multimedia, and game applications are realized in mobile phones or PDAs. However, handheld electronic devices such as mobile phones or PDAs must meet the requirements of “light, thin, short, and small,” for the convenience to carry along or hold by hands for operations. Therefore, mobile phones or PDAs require not only for the improved functions but also for the “light, thin, short, and small,” which has become an important study subject.

For example, commercial mobile phones may be classified into candy-bar type and slide type according to the design of the case. In a candy-bar type mobile phone, a screen and a QWERTY Keypad are designed on the same side of the case. In a slide type mobile phone (for example, XPERIA multimedia mobile phone introduced by SonyEricsson, visit the website www.SonyEricsson.com), a screen and a QWERTY Keypad are designed on two case bodies respectively, in which two case bodies may move relative to each other, so as to conceal the QWERTY Keypad under the screen or expose the QWERTY Keypad. The screen and the QWERTY Keypad of this slide type mobile phone are respectively designed on two case bodies, so a moving mechanism is required to be disposed between the two case bodies. However, the moving mechanism between two case bodies has a certain thickness, and thus the case of the slide mobile phone is thicker than that of the candy bar mobile phone.

Taiwan Patent No. M304877 has disclosed a slide cover device, which includes an upper cover, a bottom plate, and a spring. The upper cover moves relative to the bottom plate, and the spring is disposed between the upper cover and the bottom plate. Two ends of the spring are fixed on the upper cover and the bottom plate, respectively. The spring enables the upper cover and the bottom plate to slide relatively to the two ends. This slide cover device when applied to case bodies allows them to get close to or depart from each other. With respect to the slide cover device disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. M304877, in order to prevent the upper cover and the bottom plate from interfering with the spring, a certain space must be reversed between the spring and the upper cover, as well as between the spring and the bottom plate. However, for manufacturers of slide-type mobile phones, the space reversed for preventing interferences with the spring limits the reducing of the thickness of the slide-type mobile phones. As a result, currently, the overall thickness of the cases of most slide mobile phones cannot be effectively reduced due to the moving mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The conventional slide mobile phone employs a moving mechanism for two case bodies to move relative to each other. However, in order prevent interfering with the spring, a space must be reserved, which limits the reducing of the overall thickness of the case of the slide-type mobile phone. Accordingly, the present invention provides a casing structure capable of reducing the thickness.

The casing structure of the present invention includes a case member and a sliding member. The case member includes a first case body and a second case body. The sliding member includes a first slider, a second slider, and a torsion spring. The first slider is disposed in the first case body, and the second slider is disposed in the second case body and fitted in a movable manner on the first slider, such that the first case body and the second case body may move relative to each other through the first slider and the second slider. The first case body has a reserved space. The first slider has a hollow part and a spring fixing part extending from an edge of the hollow part into the space of the first case body. Two ends of the torsion spring are respectively disposed on the spring fixing part and the second slider, and a spiral portion of the torsion spring corresponds to the hollow part and is located in the hollow part, so as to reduce a thickness of the torsion spring.

In the casing structure disclosed in the present invention, the design of the hollow part and the spring fixing part of the first slider is adopted, such that the spiral portion of the torsion spring may be located in the hollow part, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the casing structure. The casing structure when applied in an electronic device such as a slide-type mobile phone may effectively reduce the thickness of the slide mobile phone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a casing structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an appearance of the casing structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the casing structure according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of actions of the casing structure according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are perspective views of a casing structure according to the present invention. The casing structure is applied in an electronic device which refers to a handheld electronic device such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDAs), or a handheld game player. The Mobile phone may be a slide-type mobile phone. The casing structure includes a case member 1 and a sliding member 2.

The case member 1 includes a first case body 10 and a second case body 11. The first case body 10 includes a space 100. According to the casing structure disclosed in the present invention, the first case body 10 is provided with an electronic component (not shown) such as a liquid crystal display, and a space (i.e., the aforementioned space 100) is reserved for the electronic component disposed in the first case body 10. The second case body 11 is provided with an electronic component such as a processor and also a keypad (not shown).

The sliding member 2 includes a first slider 20, a second slider 21, and a torsion spring 22. The first slider 20 is disposed in the first case body 10, and has a hollow part 200 and a spring fixing part 201 extending from an edge of the hollow part 200 into the space 100 of the first case body 10. A first fixing post 203 is fixedly disposed on the spring fixing part 201, and the first slider 20 has a slide track 202 on its two opposite sides, respectively.

The second slider 21 is disposed in the second case body 11 and is fitted in a movable manner on the first slider 20. That is, the second slider 21 has two sliding slots 210 at positions corresponding to the two the slide tracks 202 for them to slide therein. The second slider 21 has a second fixing post 211.

The torsion spring 22 is disposed between the first slider 20 and the second slider 21. The torsion spring 22 has a spiral portion 220, a first arm 221, and a second arm 222. The first arm 221 and the second arm 222 are respectively connected to the two ends of the spiral portion 220, and respectively disposed on the first fixing post 203 and the second fixing post 211. The spiral portion 220 corresponds to the hollow part 200 and is located in the hollow part 200, so as to reduce the thickness that the torsion spring 22 occupied. The torsion spring 22 acts between a first dead point and a second dead point. That is, the spiral portion 220 moves from the first fixing post 203 to the second fixing post 211, or the spiral portion 220 moves from the second fixing post 211 to the first fixing post 203. When taking the aforementioned actions, the fixed first arm 221 and the fixed second arm 222 force the spiral portion 220 to deform, so as to provide a force for the first case body 10 or the second case body 11. In this embodiment, the number of the hollow parts 200 is two, which are opposite to each other, so the number of the torsion springs 22, the first fixing posts 203, and the second fixing posts 211 are all two. The number of the torsion spring 22 is allowed to be one according to the casing structure disclosed in the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 4 are perspective views of the casing structure according to the present invention. For example, it is assumed, but not limited to, that the second case body 11 serves as a base, i.e., the second case body 11 is static. When the spiral portion 220 is actuated by the first arm 221 and the second arm 222 to move from the first dead point to the second dead point and from the second dead point to the first dead point, the torsion spring 22 provides a force for the first slider 20, so as to enable the first case body 10 to move relative to the second case body 11, and meanwhile, the first case body 10 can get close to and depart from the second case body 11.

In order to eliminate a space reversed for preventing the interference with the torsion spring 22, the hollow part 200 is formed in the first slider 20, and receives the spiral portion 220 of the torsion spring 22. Therefore, the overall thickness of the casing structure is reduced. The casing structure when applied in an electronic device can reduce the thickness of the electronic device effectively. 

1. A casing structure, comprising: a case member, comprising a first case body and a second case body, wherein the first case body has a space; and a sliding member, comprising a first slider, a second slider, and a torsion spring, wherein the first slider is disposed in the first case body, and the first slider comprises a hollow part and a spring fixing part extending from an edge of the hollow part into the space of the first case body, the second slider is disposed in the second case body, the torsion spring comprises a spiral portion, two ends of the torsion spring are respectively disposed on the spring fixing part and the second slider, and the spiral portion corresponds to the hollow part and is located in the hollow part.
 2. The casing structure according to claim 1, wherein a number of the hollow parts is two, the two hollow parts are symmetric to each other, and a number of the torsion springs is two.
 3. The casing structure according to claim 1, wherein the spring fixing part has a first fixing post, the second slider has a second fixing post, the first fixing post and the second fixing post are used for respectively connecting the two ends of the torsion spring.
 4. The casing structure according to claim 3, wherein numbers of the spring fixing parts, the first fixing posts, the second fixing posts, and the torsion springs are all two.
 5. The casing structure according to claim 3, wherein the torsion spring further comprises a first arm and a second arm, the first arm and the second arm are respectively connected to two ends of the spiral portion, and the first arm and the second arm are respectively connected to the first fixing post and the second fixing post.
 6. The casing structure according to claim 1, wherein the first slider has a slide track on its both sides respectively, and the second slider has two sliding slots at positions corresponding to the slide tracks and used for the slide tracks to slide therein. 